African ports embrace big data

“I think in Africa this going to be the game-changer,” Richard Valihu, chief executive of South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority told Intermodal Africa 2016.

“Critical to this is data, big data. How do we integrate all this data?” he said.

The example he gave was the creation of Durban as a smart port. Using 18 touch points, information could be shared across the supply chain and with local communities who previously had been shut out. “It helps,” he said of how more information improved co-ordination on both land and water sides.

Drones are also being used for surveying, sampling and message sending. “It improves the terminal time,” Valihu said.

Using big data is part of a broader drive to make South Africa and the continent a larger and more value-added shipping market.